Trumpeter - Heuschrecke IVb "Grasshopper" 1/35

[reelmesh]

Hello everyone,

I'm going to enter this SIG with the Trumpeter Heuschrecke IVb "Grasshopper" in 1/35.

This is a strange vehicle, but I believe it will provide an interesting subject for me to build, for the time being I am considering building the vehicle with a very simple base.

The worst part of this kit is the fact that it doesn't have the chassis interior it's completely hollow, which means I can't display the turret lifted off of the hull.

Nonetheless I'm going to display the crane/rig lifted as if it was left in the process of lifting the turret from the hull.

The model sprue shots:










2X


2X








Individual track links sprues 8X



You can watch a Kit review I made:

[youtube]klOPbl3MjbA[/youtube]

Some photos of the vehicle:













Side technical drawing:


Drawings of vehicle usage:


Here is some history taken off Wikipedia:

The Heuschrecke 10 (English: Grasshopper 10) was a prototype self-propelled gun and Waffenträger (English: "Weapon carrier") developed by Krupp-Gruson between 1943 and 1944. The official designation of the vehicle was 105 mm leichte Feldhaubitze 18/1 L/28 auf Waffenträger Geschützwagen IVb and was to be built in Magdeburg, Germany. The Heuschrecke featured a removable turret which could be deployed as a pillbox or towed behind the vehicle as an artillery piece.
Krupp produced only three prototypes from 1942–1943. The Heuschrecke initially made use of a shortened Panzerkampfwagen IV (Panzer IV) chassis, but it was later switched to the Geschützwagen IV chassis, developed for the Hummel self-propelled gun. Mass production of the Heuschrecke 10 was scheduled to start in February 1945, but never occurred.

Development

Precursor

Sd.Kfz. 165/1
Towards the end of September 1939, Krupp designed the "first real self-propelled artillery piece", the Sonderkraftfahrzeug 165/1 (Special Purpose Vehicle 165/1, abbreviated Sd.Kfz. 165/1). The Sd.Kfz. 165/1 was similar in design to the Heuschrecke, but did not have the chassis-mounted launching mechanism to remove the turret. After a series of tests, the Sd.Kfz. 165/1 was accepted by the Wehrmacht in early January 1940. In 1941, Krupp built prototype vehicles armed with the 105 mm leichte Feldhaubitze 18/1 L/28 (light field howitzer 18/1 L/28, abbreviated leFH 18/1 L/28) cannon based on a modified Panzer IV chassis. The prototypes were fitted with a smaller six-cylinder Maybach HL66P engine, which had a power capacity of 188 hp (140 kW). Although 200 vehicles were ordered, Krupp completed only 10 prototypes in the final four months of 1942. These saw service on the Eastern Front.

Prototypes

The design phase of the Heuschrecke began in 1942, when Krupp conceived a new type of self-propelled artillery. In 1943, Krupp produced three prototypes, with serial numbers from 582501 to 582503, which were designated as either Heuschrecke 10 or Heuschrecke IVb.
The Heuschrecke designed by Krupp was similar in design to a vehicle built by Alkett and Rheinmetall-Borsig, the 105 mm leFH 18/40/2 auf Geschützwagen III/IV, which was ready in March 1944. The competing Rheinmetall-Borsig model had overall slightly better performance than that of Krupps' vehicle. It was decided, however, to utilize an alternate chassis on the Rheinmetall-Borsig model, that of the Panzer IV. Production was to start in October 1944, but the chassis choice was changed to that of the Geschützwagen IV in December 1944. Production, in Magdeburg, was then intended to commence in February 1945, but none were produced.

Cancellation

The Nazi high command thought that the production of the Heuschrecke would disrupt the production of the needed Panzers. The quantity of materials required for the construction of weapon-carriers were so great that companies like Krupp were told to halt production. The majority of weapon-carriers never left the production stage. The Heuschrecke was seen as interesting by the General Inspector of the Panzer Troops, Heinz Guderian, however, Guderian agreed that their development was not worth the disruption to tank production. The development of the Heuschrecke was therefore canceled in February 1943.

Design

Turret

The distinguishing feature of the Heuschrecke was its removable turret. A lifting gantry attached to the chassis could remove the turret for use on concrete fortifications or the ground. Although the howitzer could equally be fired from the chassis, the vehicle was designed to carry the artillery piece to a firing emplacement for removal before usage. The turretless vehicle could be used as an ammunition carrier or recovery vehicle. The prototype turret was armed with the 105 mm leFH 18/1 L/28. The production models, however, were to have the 105 mm leFH 43 L/28.

Chassis and Engine

The Heuschrecke consisted of a welded steel hull, with thickness ranging from 10 to 25 millimeters, and sloped armour to deflect incoming fire more effectively. It had a large ammunition stowage, making it one of the chosen ammunition-carriers to help alleviate losses of ammunition that could not otherwise be transported. The original prototype engine was the twelve-cylinder Maybach HL90, but for the production models, the twelve-cylinder Maybach HL100 was chosen.

[longlance67]

Hiya Carlos

didn't realize that was you lol


nice subject mate


looking forward to seeing what you do with this one



Shane

[reelmesh]

Hiya Carlos

didn't realize that was you lol


nice subject mate


looking forward to seeing what you do with this one



Shane

Hi mate!

Thanks, it will be a challenge because of the interior matter... I might just follow your example and scratch build an interior for the visible part of the model.

I love your model mate, that kit looks sooooo good, and the figures? Geeeeeeeez, I really like the screaming officer!

I looking forward to your build as well mate.

[rm6239]

Hi Carlos

I'll be interested in seeing this come together mate, I have the Dragon version and it has a rudimentary interior, you would think they would go that extra step and include a proper interior so you could take the turret off.

cheers

Rossco

[Jan01]

Interesting model, look forward to seeing the finished product.

[Rob]

An interesting model indeed! What an unusual concept. - I will watch with interest.

[T3hGuppy]

Looking forward to this one dude.

Very unusual subject. Will be watching with interest.

[HWGuderian23]

Good choice Carlos and a great entry with loads of background information and nice reference material ! Looking forward to see what you're going to do with this one! Will follow with great interest mate ...
Good luck and have fun ...

[reelmesh]

Thanks guys!

It will be a challenge for me, I'm thinking of painting it with a somewhat loose concept than straight dunkelgelb all over, I will maybe paint some areas or panels with the red primer color, as if was partly left unfinished or something like that.

I'm still deciding where I will go with this. What do you think?

Hi Carlos

I'll be interested in seeing this come together mate, I have the Dragon version and it has a rudimentary interior, you would think they would go that extra step and include a proper interior so you could take the turret off.

cheers

Rossco

Well Rossco, I believe it's rudimentary because they didn't have all the information they needed, I think this is such an obscure vehicle that information on it is bound to be scarce. But al least you have some, and you know, it might have just actually have been rudimentary.

Good choice Carlos and a great entry with loads of background information and nice reference material ! Looking forward to see what you're going to do with this one! Will follow with great interest mate ...
Good luck and have fun ...

Thanks Markus, there's little reference material on this one so you'll have to take this build with a grain of salt my friend.

[chief5437]

Very interesting subject, looking forward to seeing what you do with it. Hope you enjoy the build mate

[longlance67]

Hiya Carlos

didn't realize that was you lol


nice subject mate


looking forward to seeing what you do with this one



Shane

Hi mate!

Thanks, it will be a challenge because of the interior matter... I might just follow your example and scratch build an interior for the visible part of the model.

I love your model mate, that kit looks sooooo good, and the figures? Geeeeeeeez, I really like the screaming officer!

I looking forward to your build as well mate.

cheers mate for the kind words looking forward to getting building it, say I'll get stuck into it later today

can't wait to see how you tackle yours buddy


Shane

[Tiger131]

looks a real nice kit.....its a bit of a pointless tank turning a mobile tank/turret into a static one....but for us an endless way of building and weathering possibilitys

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Very interesting subject, looking forward to see more of this build!
Good luck Carlos!

[wappynutter]

Very nice piece of kit sir!
..... and PE parts, quick don't let Frans see them he'll wanna help!
Good luck mate, she's gonna look sweet when finished!

[Panzermeister36]

That is officially the coolest tank I've ever seen! It can do everything (mostly)

I think Dragon has a kit of this too, might buy it now! I'll be watching this buildthrough bud!

[rm6239]

Carlos, you could be right on both counts mate.

cheers

Rossco

[alextheblue]

Looking forward to seeing you weave your magic on this one Carlos!!

[reelmesh]

Thanks guys!

looks a real nice kit.....its a bit of a pointless tank turning a mobile tank/turret into a static one....but for us an endless way of building and weathering possibilitys

Indeed it is a relic of the over engineering of the period and like you said, endless possibilities for us!

Very nice piece of kit sir!
..... and PE parts, quick don't let Frans see them he'll wanna help!
Good luck mate, she's gonna look sweet when finished!

That won't be a problem mate, there are too few of them!

That is officially the coolest tank I've ever seen! It can do everything (mostly)

I think Dragon has a kit of this too, might buy it now! I'll be watching this buildthrough bud!

They wished! To me it shows well that old saying "Jack of all trades and master of none."

If you like this vehicle, definitely buy the Dragon one, it comes with an interior, this one doesn't and that is a big issue as it forces you to pose the turret in the vehicle cutting down your possibilities for a diorama. It also come with the correct color for the vehicle!

Carlos, you could be right on both counts mate.

cheers

Rossco

I think that's the main reason for such a sparse interior, at least Dragon went the extra mile!


Update:

So I've started my work on the kit, I must say that my initial impressions were somewhat toned down as I go on with the build, nonetheless it's a 20€ Kit, so bear that in mind.

I started with the back plate as stated in the instructions the last part was poorly molded and required a bit of sanding and drilling a hole to make it look good.









Then I focused on the running gear, which in my opinion is a bit over engineered, quite ironic for this kit.



That took me a lot of time to build, there are 8 sub assemblies like that one...

The great thing is that, if properly built, the running gear allows the kit to adjust realistically to a non flat terrain.

I forgot to take the photo when I finished them, so this one was taken in the end of the modeling session but you can get the idea.



The upper hull went smoothly, all the parts and the fit were great. The PE is a bit thick and harder to fold at times but nothing too hard to deal with, other than that it was fine.

The engine grills are in fact really good.





There's another curious detail about this vehicle, the sprockets and different on each side, I don't know the reason why but they are and yes I've confirmed that on a few reviews.

Maybe the prototype building team had different versions of the sprockets and were testing them on the vehicle, or maybe they were just lying about and at hand while they were building it, I don't know. If someone could shed some light on this matter I would appreciate it, I've ordered the Panzertracts issue with this vehicle but it might even not mention this matter.

Anyway, this is how it stands right now:



Thanks everyone!

[HWGuderian23]

Great start on this one Carlos ! The workable running gear is a big plus indeed.
Very well done my friend .

[NAMBiohazard]

Looking good, great progress

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

I thought I smelled some PE, and I was right!
Great work so far Carlos! Nice detail to drill those holes at the back, it makes all the difference

[alextheblue]

Great progress Carlos, great detail on those leaf-springs.

Curious about the sprockets - maybe the weight distribution was such that the "drive" was different requiring a stronger sprocket. I'm clutching at straws now!!

[JayCub]

Great build and i really like the black and white photographs of the actual vehicle, the photo-etch is top notch and your channel on youtube Carlos is brilliant really enjoyable and laid back,

Tom

[Nige201980]

this is a really interesting subject Carlos really great progress so far will keep my eye on this one.

[Tiger131]

looking a real nice clean build bud

[NAMBiohazard]

Looking good

You just got me interested in buying on of those kits

[rm6239]

Carlos, great PE work mate. Looking forward to your next update.

cheers

Rossco

[reelmesh]

Great start on this one Carlos ! The workable running gear is a big plus indeed.
Very well done my friend .

Thanks Markus!

This little fella is sitting on my shelf can only second what you have said about it so far. I think for its prize there is nothing wrong with the kit the crane mechanism is fiddly but you will nail it great job so far

Thanks mate!

Let me tell you that although the kit is cheap, in my opinion that doesn't excuse some really dumb mistakes and engineering blunders. Hell I don't care about the interior anymore, I just wished the Kit was free from so many idiotly placed ejector pin marks and bad research on trumpeters part. Nothing we can't deal with mate!

Looking good, great progress

Thanks mate!

I thought I smelled some PE, and I was right!
Great work so far Carlos! Nice detail to drill those holes at the back, it makes all the difference

Thanks Frans!
It's just a little detail, but many of those make up a better looking piece generally. You should know that, you are the detail master!

Great progress Carlos, great detail on those leaf-springs.

Curious about the sprockets - maybe the weight distribution was such that the "drive" was different requiring a stronger sprocket. I'm clutching at straws now!!

I don't know Alex, but you might be spot on, I had never thought of that perspective about them, but it is really out of the ordinary.

Great build and i really like the black and white photographs of the actual vehicle, the photo-etch is top notch and your channel on youtube Carlos is brilliant really enjoyable and laid back,

Tom

Thank you Tom, you are too kind mate!

this is a really interesting subject Carlos really great progress so far will keep my eye on this one.

Thanks Nigel!

Indeed interesting but the downside is the scarcity of research sources.

looking a real nice clean build bud

Thanks mate!

Looking good

You just got me interested in buying on of those kits

Thanks mate, but I would advise against that, I would go the extra mile and get the Dragon kit, much better than this one.

Carlos, great PE work mate. Looking forward to your next update.

cheers

Rossco

Thanks Rossco!


Another small update:

So now things are taking a turn to the dark side...

I've encountered a few troubles on the way, nothing really bad but I now am using the Dragon's kit instructions as a secondary reference to deal with the inaccuracies of the Trumpeter kit.

Here's a video with a update and where I talk about the troubles I'm finding:

[youtube]Ch2e5upJYrI[/youtube]

The turret top part had a few chunks of plastic on the inside, that were visible and placed on a very hard to reach place, so I chiselled them off and now it's ok, I'll leave them be as this part won't be seen at all.



The turret ring was even worse, it had 9 ejector pin marks on the upper side of the part, which is the visible and detailed side. I think they could have just placed the part on the sprue in a different manner...



After some Tamiya putty and some sanding:



On the upper hull, Trumpeter tells you to add a couple hammers and shovels near the engine grills.



Well, good thing I dry fitted it first...



That shovel sits on top of the engine access hatch.... I think not Trumpeter.

At this point I started to search for the Dragon instructions as I hadn't found any primary source of information to use and their research seems to be good.

So I'll be rearranging the tools on the upper hull and continue my work on the turret.

[HWGuderian23]

Your rework on the turret ring looks good Carlos !
Hope you can relocate the shovel without any major problems ... good luck my friend !

[rm6239]

Nasty amount of ejection marks there Carlos, you dealt with the well though.

cheers

Rossco

[T3hGuppy]

This build is really coming together.

Shame about the issues your having.

Looks like you managed to fix them though

[Tiger131]

i do hate them pesky pin marks but you've sorted them top stuff

[reelmesh]

Your rework on the turret ring looks good Carlos !
Hope you can relocate the shovel without any major problems ... good luck my friend !

Thank you Markus!

Yeah, it turned out ok mate and I relocated and changed a few other tools but more on that on this update.

Nasty amount of ejection marks there Carlos, you dealt with the well though.

cheers

Rossco

Thanks Rossco!

This build is really coming together.

Shame about the issues your having.

Looks like you managed to fix them though

Thanks Guppy, indeed I did, most of them, the rest of the build ill probably bring some more troubles but I do my best.

i do hate them pesky pin marks but you've sorted them top stuff

Thanks mate!

So here goes another update:


Here's the video for this update:
[youtube]DpKNsIzP0AE[/youtube]

Right!

So I'm really starting to enjoy the look of this model, after some complaints and rambling about it, I agree with what HollywoodModelling said. For the price, the kit does have some nice detail and though you need some experience to get past it's issues, it's nothing too hard.

I would still get the Dragon kit, it is far, far better, both in quality and in detail.

Over all I'm pretty happy with it!

On the first order of business were the engine deck tools (I forgot to mention this on the video, evils of improvising... ).

First I shaved the crowbar from the edge of the hull and sanded the excess plastic to a smooth, flush finish.
Then I filled the location pin holes with a bit of evergreen and after it cured I chiselled the excess off and sanded likewise.



Then I placed the crowbar in the place mentioned in Dragons instructions:



With that out of the way I finished the lower part of the turret:



I must say that on both upper and lower parts of the turret there are location pin holes and on their respective parts the stumps are generally bigger or longer, carefull dry fitting before gluing is important!

I then turned my attention to the gun, the assembly went without major issues in this instance. I'm going to paint the gun separately from the turret in order to be able to paint it more easily.



Afterwards I assembled the upper part of the turret:



I must tell you that there are a few fiddly parts to this assembly, I had some problems with the upper plates and the top structuring rod.

After gluing the side wheel supports I noticed that their location slots were oversized and left visible.......



After cursing a bit and pondering some more I decided to experiment with a technique I had never used before.

I stretched some sprue, then I cut them to size and glued them on said slots:







Then I applied a drop of tamiya extra thin on the glued sprue bits until they softened, once they were soft I went in with the tip of my hobby knife and gently tapped the blade on the stretched sprue to create weld beads.



I then glued the rest of the PE on the turret and set it aside.

So here is how the model stands right now:











Next I'll deal with the gun barrel and muzzle which are two part assemblies. Once that is taken care of and the track links are cleaned I'll mount and shape the tracks.

Hope you like it!

[T3hGuppy]

Cracking update dude.


The technique with the stretched sprue will really come in handy thanks for sharing.

[alextheblue]

Like that a lot Carlos and some great fixes there - who'd have thought that Dragons instructions would come to the rescue, they usually cause the problems!

Touch of genius with the stretched Sprue and this is looking really good!

[generalgrog]

Nice tip on the stretched sprue!!!


Looking great sofar!!
GG

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Great progress Carlos
You are solving those problems great!
Keep up the good work buddy!

[Jan01]

Nice work on the streched sprue. Model is looking good.

[Tiger131]

oh yes superb work like the weld touch.looking a quality build

[rm6239]

Great work mate and then welding seams turned out nicely. Lucky you have the Dragon instructions to refer too ( never thought to hear myself say that)

cheers

Rossco

[chief5437]

This is coming on great, very detailed kit by the looks of it. Nice job on the welds too!

[Nige201980]

Love that weld work you've done mate. i will have to remember that really is looking fantastic.

[EasyEight96]

Love the build so far the grasshopper it quite unique tank there

[Panzermeister36]

Just in case anyone cares for the Dragon Grasshopper I found a site that has it for 50% off...:

http://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/shop/drag ... 39958.html

heh heh I can get it at my LHC for £20/ €25/ $37 ENNNNVVVYYYY

Which is weird because everything else there is more expensive than online...

[Panzermeister36]

I paid 23 € for that ... so... envy is the word..

Wow sorry man you lost out on 2 whole euros... dang you must be feeling suicidal...

[reelmesh]

Cracking update dude.


The technique with the stretched sprue will really come in handy thanks for sharing.

Thanks Guppy! I had heard of it a few years ago but had never tried it before.

Like that a lot Carlos and some great fixes there - who'd have thought that Dragons instructions would come to the rescue, they usually cause the problems!

Touch of genius with the stretched Sprue and this is looking really good!

Thanks Alex, indeed dragons destructions this time almost saved the day, that is until I recieved my reference book Panzertracts 10-1, in there it shows a diferent tool layout than both kits... Oh well, I'm not going to change that now, maybe I'll get up to building the Dragon kit on day.

Nice tip on the stretched sprue!!!


Looking great sofar!!
GG

Thanks mate!

Great progress Carlos
You are solving those problems great!
Keep up the good work buddy!

Thanks so much Frans, this build really challenged my patience and building skills, it didn't come out as good as I wanted it but I tried my best so I'm ok with it and I did learn a bit more.

Nice work on the streched sprue. Model is looking good.

Thanks Jan! Like I said, will use it more.

oh yes superb work like the weld touch.looking a quality build

Thanks mate!

Great work mate and then welding seams turned out nicely. Lucky you have the Dragon instructions to refer too ( never thought to hear myself say that)

cheers

Rossco

Thanks Rossco, neither did I, but alas they were wrong as well... Serves me right to rely on secondary sources!

This is coming on great, very detailed kit by the looks of it. Nice job on the welds too!

Than Chief, Nicely detailed yes, but dragon's is much more detailed and somewhat more accurate than this one.

Love that weld work you've done mate. i will have to remember that really is looking fantastic.

Thanks Nigel, not bad for a first try, I was pretty shaky at first.

Love the build so far the grasshopper it quite unique tank there

Thanks mate! Indeed unique, that's what attracted me to this kit when I bought it.

HollywoodModelling, Panzermeister, you should try to build the dragon kit, it is way better than this and will result in a better model. And for 5 euros difference you'll get so much more than what's in this kit!
As for me, I don't even want to hear about the Grasshopper for awhile but if and when I wish to build another, I'll most certainly buy dragon!

Now for the Update:

Well guys, I'll be completely honest with you, I lost my jazz with this kit for a few days, I really got frustrated with it. One problem after another and the quality of the build getting worse really threw me off of this kit.

But... Well sometimes I'm just plain stubborn... I couldn't leave it like that, after all I had a "mission" so a few days went by and after I replenished my building juices with another build, I went back to this again, with vengeance in mind...

I endured a few other pitfalls and agreed with myself in lowering expectations and simply trying my best at it, whatever that is...

Enough said, here's how it went:

The video update: [youtube]4b-8_M0gITY[/youtube]

I wont bother you with the story of filling and sanding the gun barrel and muzzle, I can quickly show you the fiddlyness of trying to hold the muzzle to sand it...



Then I had to drill the exhaust pipes because these were simply unacceptable the way they were moulded. It was pretty fiddly as this had to be done at an angle and very carefully.



After that I assembled the left side of the lifting device, no major issues there.





After test fitting and observation to prevent further issues I started work on the other side.

It was then that I was visited by the "Carpet monster" and somehow lost a small part of the right side lifting device...

Well I had to get down on my hands and knees and waste a ton of time before I decided to scratch build the part, if it can be called as such.

So I used a bit of plastic card from the clean up of my Miniart diorama kit and made a round piece of the same size for the base.





I then used a bit of sprue to make the center elevation of the part:



Stretched some more sprue (Yes, it's uses seem to be endless... ) and tried to make the small bits on the side of the part:



After filling, sanding and adjusting it came out reasonably ok, I think...



So that you don't think this kit is complete failure, I want to show you a few well engineered parts that are worth mentioning.

These were very delicate and fiddly, however the sprue attachment points were very well placed and designed and the cleanup went like a breeze!



And now for the opposite of the previous photo...

The worst ejector pin marks I had to deal with were on these wheels which are two part assemblies, meaning that these marks could have been hidden!

Forget the base of the turret, this cr*p is way harder to deal with...



I then had to endure the most tedious part of the build... Cleaning up the individual track links... Every single one of the 240 of them...

After that I glued the tracks and placed them to set on the model.





Here is the model and all the sub assemblies placed and test fitted on top of the picture frame I'm going to use for it.



After gluing the hull I looked at the model and remembered that I had forgotten to make the spare track links brackets on the fron hull...

I grabbed a few Evergreen "L"s and shaped them to resemble said brackets:







Next step will be priming and possible correction of unseen troubles after the primer.

I'm also going to make a very simple base for the model. I want to try and make an asphalt or concrete ground and add some details like Fuel and oil drums ( from Tamiya and Academy kits), pieces of wood and possibly some tarps. I'll elaborate on that later in the build.

Hope you guys like it!

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Carlos, you did a wonderful work at scratch building the missing parts!
I like this kit a lot! You also have great PE skills!
Keep up the good work buddy

[alextheblue]

Fantastic progress Carlos and another genius piece of scratch building!

Love all that PE and its all so clean; this is turning out to be another masterpiece!!

With regards to the tool placement - it's your build, you can put them where you like and anyways, I prefer how you've done it!

[Paul]

Superb work Carlos, great stuff mate

[Tiger131]

you really are cracking on with this build and doing a very good job as well looks a real nice clean build and like your scratch building top stuff